BENGALURU: A 32-year-old police sub-inspector attached to Whitefield police station was reportedly assaulted in full public view in Immadihalli, when he was clearing traffic around 8.30pm on Sunday.
S-I Bheemashankar Gumate and his colleagues were returning to the station in a car with a robbery case suspect, when they got stuck in a traffic jam enroute, near Immadihalli junction. Gumate was trying to clear the traffic block on Shivakuntamma Temple Street.
The accused, who was standing at the junction, picked a fight with the victim for clearing traffic. Gumate was in mufti at the time. When the other policemen tried to catch the accused, he managed to escape by pushing them. Whitefield police are on the lookout for the accused, identified as Manoj of Immadihalli.
Gumate and another police constable, Hanumantha, had gone to nab one of the accused involved in robbing water tanker owner Mahendra. After apprehending the accused along with the car used in the robbery near Valepura, Gumate called his colleague sub-inspector N Nagaraj for backup, to ensure the accused did not escape.
When they were returning in the car, there was a traffic jam on Shivakuntamma Temple Street, caused by a water tanker. “Gumate stepped out of the car to clear the traffic. The accused, Manoj, picked a fight with Gumate even after he introduced himself as a police officer. During the heated exchange of words, the accused assaulted Gumate and fled, though the other policemen tried to catch him. Efforts are on to arrest him,” said an officer.
A case of assault or use of criminal force to obstruct a public servant from discharging duty (IPC 323), causing hurt (IPC 323) and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace (IPC 504) was registered against the accused.
Investigations are on.